Song of the Day: U.S. Girls – Work From Home

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Work From Home” by U.S. Girls from the 2012 album GEM on FatCat Records.

Although her moniker implies otherwise, Meghan Remy is the sole, albeit American, member of U.S. Girls, where she mashes her love for neon crunch with D.I.Y. roughness while maintaining a distinct pop signature. U.S. Girls began as a solo project in 2008, when Remy began recording in her bedroom on a barely functional four-track, but for her second full-length, she went north to collaborate with Canadian producer Slim Twig for GEM, a more focused, (relatively) polished record. A sinewy strut that wouldn’t sound too far out of place in 1979, “Work From Home” acts as a tribute to working women in more ways than one. Without giving too much away, Remy’s seductive whine extolls virtues of independence over bright keyboards and a buzzing drum machine, opting to leave the rhythmic work to her lyrical subjects. It’s not subtle, but Remy never claims to be: “Work From Home” is a D.I.Y. tribute that struts its glammy message with unerring confidence, so anything less wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying.

Remy is in the middle of a North American tour for U.S. Girls this month, and she’ll be stopping in Seattle at the Cairo on November 16th. Get more info and tickets for that show here, keep up with Remy on her website and Facebook page, and watch the music video (NSFW) for “Work From Home” below: